Discover New Recipes With Liza And Brooklyn Mama’s Kitchen

Cooking with kids can be a hassle, but one local mom has started a cooking show to address just that. Liza Zeneski started her show, Brooklyn Mama’s Kitchen, earlier this year and each episode highlights a local mom and a recipe that she love to make for her kids.

We asked Liza about where she got the idea and what it takes to make one of her videos.

CKC: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Liza Zeneski: I’m a mom to two crazy boys (an almost 5-year-old Zachary and a 20-months-old Nicholas) who wake up way too early but give the best morning snuggles. I’m originally from St. Petersburg, Russia but have lived in NYC since 1999. I was raised by a single mother. I mention this because I think it has made a very strong impact on a person I am today. My mom (who is now happily married to my stepdad, who I adore) lives in Bay Ridge and I am very close with her and so are my boys.

I graduated from Brooklyn College where I double majored in Film Production and Television and Radio Production. I met my husband during a film shoot in the West Village (he was a producer and I was an assistant director), there was no doubt that we were made for each other. We have that crazy, head over heels, talk for hours, walks across the Brooklyn Bridge, marriage proposal in Central Park, New York City kind of love story. Anyhow, after college we got married and together we backpacked through Europe for quiet a while. Then we moved to Los Angeles and lived there for a year before moving back to what always felt like home: New York.

I freelanced in film production but eventually ended up with a career in marketing. When we were expecting our oldest son we moved to Park Slope. Two years later we moved to Windsor Terrace and last summer we bought a house in Kensington and here we are. I did not go back to work after having my second son so I have now been a stay-at-home mom for almost two years. Never thought I would be a stay-at-home mom, but yet here I am and I’m loving it.

Tell us a bit about Brooklyn Mama’s Kitchen. Why did you start making videos?

Before having children my husband did all the cooking. He is an amazing cook. I had no clue how to cook nor did I have any desire to learn. However, once our oldest son was born it was important to me that we sit down for a meal together every day. Because of my husband’s work schedule I had to start cooking otherwise we wouldn’t be eating until 8pm. So I started cooking — simple dishes at first. But with time I began taking on more complicated recipes.

I have noticed that moms talk a lot about food! I guess we are constantly concerned with feeding our kiddos. We are always talking about different dinners we have made, what the child ate and what he/she didn’t, what was good to send for lunch the next day, what is good for babies and toddlers, where to buy certain foods, etc. Also, our lovely borough is filled with different cultures which makes it even more fun to talk about food as we can introduce each other to different recipes from all over the world. I’m always on the look out for new recipes and I figured other moms are too. So that’s how the idea for the show came about.

Last March, my friend and I were walking around in the park and talked about some yummy dinners we have recently made. Then we thought we should do a Pinterest board with some recipe ideas. Then we thought why not a blog? And then I thought why not a cooking show? So that’s how Brooklyn Mama’s Kitchen was born. I tested the waters and talked to some friends about it just to see if this is something people would be interested in watching. Everyone received it with so much excitement and support that I was convinced, this is definitely something I should do. I reached out to my good friend Chris who has production experience and is always on a look out for a new and exciting project to be involved in. He was excited to come on board.

March though May was spent lining up the shoots. June-July were spent shooting and August was spent editing. September 10th the first two episodes went up. A new episode comes out every Thursday at 1pm. We haven’t skipped a week yet. (Although, I should mention that there will not be an episode next week because of Thanksgiving.) I am now also posting cooking vlog videos — just very short videos of me making some yummy things. These videos are in addition to the regular episodes.

What is your process for making the videos?

We are always on a look out for new guest-star moms. Those who are interested send in about three of their best recipes of cooking dishes they would like to make on the show. We go through these and decide on one. Then we pick day and time that works for everyone. On that day me, my youngest son and my partner and videographer Chris come over and shoot. Everything is shot on an iPhone so there is really no set up and the shoot takes about an hour unless the recipe takes longer to make. Then we edit and schedule the episode for a release.

Do you have a favorite video?

I honestly love all of them but if I had to pick one it would be the Halloween Special we did — Psycho Mama’s Kitchen. We had so much fun making this episode, plus I love Halloween!

What’s your favorite dish to make for your kids?

Chicken pot pie — everyone in my home loves it! I’m also a very big fan of breakfast and so are my boys so banana bread or french toast are always big hits. I made sweet potato and banana muffins a week ago (there is a video of this on the youtube channel) and my boys LOVED these. So I’ll be definitely making more of them.

What do you think are the biggest challenges cooking for kids?

Their inability to listen? HA! Maybe it’s just my son. He really loves cooking so usually he is great in following directions but sometimes he just doesn’t want to listen and wants to decide on his own how much of the ingredient he will put in or how much he will “try”of a certain ingredient or he wants to put all of the cooking utensils into his apron. When I see that he is not focused on the cooking task we take a break together and talk about the dish we are making and what we still have left to do. That usually gets him excited and back into it.

What’s a typical day in your life like?

5:30am wake up (yes, i know….ugh), have coffee as I’m a zombie without it, pack my oldest son’s snacks for school, and start on the breakfast. Then Nicholas and I take Zachary to the bus stop. Zach goes to school and we are out and about. Sometimes we have scheduled activities like swim or music classes or sometimes we are just out on an adventure — visiting the park, transit museum, zoo, etc. I always try to be back home for lunch and a nap. During his nap I do pretty much all of my dinner prep because that’s the only time I can do that. It’s impossible to cook with the two of the running around. Ha! After nap, we head out again and pick Zach up from the bus at 4:15pm. Then we usually go to the park or playground or a playdate and then home for dinner. Dinner is at 6 or 6:30pm. After that, the boys play a little or Zachary does his homework and then it’s bath and books, and both are in bed by 8pm. After the boys are in bed I usually work on the show — editing, shooting a new cooking vlog, marketing, updating the website, etc. Then my hubby and I spent some time together and off to bed I go.

Why did you settle in Kensington?

We really love it here. It’s like a little hidden nook. It’s close to the park, to both Q and F trains, and all the restaurants and stores on Cortelyou, Church, and Ft. Hamilton. We are still so close to Park Slope’s Y, library, shopping, etc. And more and more fun things are coming to this side of the park: Lakeside, boat and bike rentals, natural playground, etc. This is the perfect spot. It’s also more residential and quieter, more peaceful but yet you are still in the city. (We are on E. 9th between Beverley and Avenue C.)

What is one of the neighborhood’s hidden (or not-so-hidden) gems?

For me it’s the park. It’s not really a hidden gem, but definitely the biggest perk of the neighborhood. I’m in the park every day. It’s really one of my most favorite places.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?

One day it was raining and Zachary was about one and a half. I’d had a long day and he kept running into a huge puddle. I kept trying to pull him out of it and I was getting frustrated and mad. A friend of mine was with us and she said, “Just let him be little.” And that really stuck with me. She was absolutely right. He wasn’t in any danger. It was warm out and he was curious and full of energy and just wanted to have fun. I try to live by that now and as long as my boys are safe and not being disruptive to others around them I let them be little. As they are only little once and I know I will really miss these days one day.

What’s the best thing about being a parent in your part of Brooklyn? And one of the hardest things?

All of the support. And how it feels like a small town, but yet it’s a huge city. As I go for walks or to run errands I constantly run into people I know. It’s so nice to say hello, chat, vent, complain. It really feels like you get sort of an acknowledgement nod from other moms. We are all in this together. And when people say, “It takes a village,” I agree, and it really feels like we have that here.

Check out Liza’s cooking videos at brooklynmamaskitchen.com. New videos come out every Thursday at 1pm. For anyone who is interested in being on the show or has any suggestions/feedback, email Liza at info@brooklynmamaskitchen.com.